The Guest Cottage by Nancy Thayer

Nancy Thayer’s The Guest Cottage is a delightful novel set on the picturesque island of Nantucket where a divorcee and widower find love as their families meld together.

I have never read anything by Thayer before – but in reading the reviews on Goodreads this is a very typical example of her work. It’s an enveloping work – I want to book a ticket to Nantucket immediately after reading this.

The plot is fairly straightforward; Sophie and Trevor are both given access to a guest cottage on Nantucket by respective friends. However, the other doesn’t know the other one is going to be there. Hijinks ensue. Sophie is regrouping after discovering that her marriage is in shambles and Trevor is there to hopefully help his (possibly autistic) son find peace after his mother’s death.

We know they’re going to get together, but we know that in all novels of this type, so clearly the excitement is in the journey. For me, this journey was a bit haphazard. Thayer proves that they are attracted to each other, that they settle into a routine of co-parenting and that they clearly have a deep level of trust. However, Trevor also sleeps with someone else in the course of the story and the actual “will you marry me” conversation came out of freaking nowhere for me.

The fact that Trevor and Sophie get their happily ever after usually means a novel would be categorized as a romance, versus a book with romantic elements, but in this case the book just didn’t feel like a romance. It was an odd feeling. I knew they would eventually find each other, but once they did, I didn’t really believe they chose each other. Especially with their kids thrown in – is the course of a summer really enough to decide to completely blend families? I know we look to novels for escape and I certainly do, but sometimes things just take you out of the moment, you know? And the abrupt ending on this one did that for me.

Enjoyable, yes. Thayer is a good storyteller and I enjoyed reading this. I just found the ending a little quick. Recommended to enjoy with a refreshing glass of lemonade or iced tea to reflect the summery setting.

Holidays for children with autism:: one of the things children on the autistic disorder spectrum struggle with is breaks in routine. This site recommends how to holiday with children in that situation.